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In my role as an emergency veterinarian I treat some very sick cats. And I also meet some cat owners who feel very guilty. They wonder whether their cats might not have gotten so sick if they had recognized earlier that a problem was developing. Although some cat emergencies come on suddenly and are anything but subtle, it is true that many others start with vague symptoms. It is certainly true that early recognition of subtle emergencies will improve the chances of a good outcome. But owners should not feel guilty if they fail to recognize these subtleties — cats don’t come with warning labels, and a person who doesn’t know the symptoms can’t be expected to recognize them (and, by definition, subtle symptoms are hard to recognize).

For instance, I owned cats — including males — for 25 years before I knew that any urinary irregularity whatsoever in a male cat could be an emergency.

The following list is designed to help you recognize cat emergencies that always warrant an immediate trip to the vet. However, it is not exhaustive, and you may find yourself in an ambiguous situation not covered on the list. If you are wondering whether you need to get out of your pajamas and head to the emergency cat vet in such a situation, there are some guidelines you can follow.

One useful indicator of cat health is the color of the gums. Lift your cat’s lip and look at his gums now. They should be pink and moist. Check them regularly, and you’ll get a sense of what they look like normally. If you suspect your cat is sick and the gums are pale, grey, blue, or bright red, then your cat most likely is in trouble (although you should be aware that your cat might still be in trouble even if the gums are their normal pink color).

Remember as well that you are always free to call your cat vet or your local emergency clinic to talk about any ambiguous situation. The staff should be able to offer guidance.

Finally, remember that when in doubt it is always safest to have a vet evaluate your cat. A physical exam that reveals nothing wrong causes no harm; doing nothing about a critical situation can lead to a fatal outcome.

Now let’s list some of the most common and serious feline veterinary emergencies.

1. Difficulty breathing

This is the most urgent emergency any individual — cat, dog or human — can face. Death occurs after three minutes without breathing, so cats with breathing difficulties are on the edge of disaster. Breathing problems in cats can be hard to recognize at first. Symptoms to watch out for are heaving sides, breathing with the mouth open, coughing, wheezing, abnormal respiratory noises, and the catch-all appearance of “breathing funny.”

2. Abnormal urination in male cats

Yes, urinary obstruction is a cat emergency.

This has the potential to be a symptom of one of the most serious crises any cat can face: urinary obstruction. This condition, which is fatal if not treated, occurs when cats are unable to urinate. For anatomical reasons, it occurs almost exclusively in males. Cats with the condition suffer agonizing pain, and then rapid progression to kidney failure, potentially bladder rupture, and high blood-potassium levels that cause cardiac arrest. Initial symptoms may be subtle: Affected cats may urinate outside the litter box, strain but produce only small quantities of urine, vocalize, or groom their genitals excessively. Therefore, any male cat with any urinary irregularity whatsoever should be checked by a vet immediately. Be aware that female cats with urinary irregularities also should see the vet. They are not likely to die from the problem, but they are likely to be suffering from discomfort that warrants treatment.

3. Signs of severe pain or obvious distress

Bring your kitty to an emergency vet immediately if you notice this one. Pain itself always warrants treatment, but it also can be a sign of more serious problems such as urinary obstruction (see above) or aortic thromboembolism (see below). Symptoms of pain and distress include vocalizing (howling), panting, hiding and overreacting to contact with a painful area.

4. Sudden paralysis of the hind end

Get your cat to the vet ASAP if you notice signs of paralysis of the hind end.

While we’re on the subject of pain, we should discuss an emergency that is among the most painful events that can happen to a cat: aortic thromboembolism, or ATE. ATE is a complication of heart disease in cats in which a blood clot lodges in the rear (usually) legs. It causes sudden paralysis of the hind end. Affected cats usually will pant, vocalize and show other signs of distress. It requires immediate veterinary attention.

5. Stopping eating and/or drinking

This often means serious trouble. It is not normal for any individual to go a full day without eating when food is available, and not eating can be a symptom of (kidney failure, complications of diabetes, intestinal obstruction) and a cause of (fatty liver) major health problems.

6. Protracted vomiting and/or diarrhea

Vomiting and diarrhea can be a cat emergency!

This requires immediate veterinary attention, especially when blood is present. Almost all cats occasionally yak or have soft stools, and such incidents usually aren’t emergencies. But cats who vomit repeatedly or have blowout diarrhea should see the vet immediately.

7. Known ingestion of toxins

Ingestion of toxics such as lily or antifreeze should be treated immediately. Rapid action can dramatically improve outcomes in many different types of toxicities.

8. Profound lethargy or collapse

This should trigger an urgent trip to the vet. Profound lethargy often manifests as “not moving,” hiding in one room for a protracted period, and not reacting to stimuli (such as the can opener or the dog) in a normal fashion.

9. Seizure

Although a solitary seizure is not likely to be life threatening, owners should be aware that seizures often come in clusters that get worse over the course of several hours. They also can be a symptom of exposure to toxins such as mold or low-quality flea control products. Cats who suffer a seizure should go straight to the vet.

10. Major trauma

This should always trigger a veterinary visit. Owners of cats with gaping wounds or massive hemorrhage usually know this intuitively. However, sometimes cats who have fallen from height, been hit by cars, struck by garage doors or attacked by large dogs can have major internal injuries yet appear unharmed after the incident. Any time you are aware of such an occurrence, your cat should be checked out.

11. Fights with other cats

Cats who have been in fights with other cats should see the vet sooner rather than later. Cat fight wounds are relatively easy to treat with antibiotics if they are caught early. If a delay occurs, an abscess may develop that requires anesthesia and surgery.

Cat owners should remember that the above list is not exhaustive; it is not possible to list (or even imagine) every type of emergency situation that a cat might face. I wish to reiterate that if you are in doubt, you should call a vet, or simply go to the vet.

Got a question for Dr. Barchas? Ask our vet in the comments below and your topic might be featured in an upcoming column. (Note that if you have an emergency situation, please see your own vet immediately!)

21 comments on “11 Cat Emergencies That Need Immediate Vet Attention”

My cat is about 9 yrs old. He is a big, greedy tom cat, lol… now, as of today, he won’t eat, he just puts his mouth to the water, but won’t drink. I’ve suspected weight loss for the past few weeks, but wasn’t sure, now I can tell. Then, about a week ago, his breath started to smell like death! Please help….

Hi. Usually my cat sleeps in the bed and basically attacks me when I wake up and stands by the food dish until I give him wet food. He started out in the bed, but when I woke up he was sleeping on the couch in the living room. I put some wet food from a new can on the plate, which he usually he devours. I even took it over to the couch where he was. He got up, took a bite or two, and just laid back down. He was super lethargic and sleepy. How many days do you think I should wait to take him to the vet if this pattern continues. Thank you in advance.

Hello, My 8 month old fur baby body is limp he can walk but won’t. His eyes look really crazy and his breathing is shallow. He is the alpa cat in a home of 3 feline and is normally very active. He will eat his food (wet) but won’t drink water. It just happened out of nowhere. I would hat e to lose my only son????. Please help!!!

It was really helpful when you said that not eating for a whole day when food is available is a sign that my pet needs serious medical attention right away. My cat has this habit of skipping meals, especially if there’s a prey, like a mouse, that she’s chasing after. However, this time, it has been a whole day that she’s not eating or drinking anything, and she’s not even doing anything. Now I know that it’s serious. Thanks. I’ll bring her to the pet hospital right away.

Help, my nieces female cat, that has been fixed for awhile, she is about 7 years old, she is a indoor cat, after Thanksgiving, she just stopped eating and drinking, all she does is lay in the floor, they found her under the couch in a puddle of urine, they took her to the vet, they give the cat an iv for awhile, then sent her home, the cat now gets in the kitty box, and just lays, still does not eat or drink,,, please any help of why she is like this?

Help the vet put my cat on buprenex after he has been in pain from a few crystals . He was doing fine then all of a sudden today he stopped drinking water like He used to and nothing in cat litter box. Is that normal ? This started this afternoon

My 4 month old kitten has been sneezing for about a day and woke up this am wig green gunk n her eyes. By 6pm her eyes are leaking brown gunk and I think her third eye lid is swollen and half way closed from the bottom up. Its also deep red. Any idea what this is. I can’t find a vet open now but am taking her first thing in the am but I’m worried sick about her. Please help.. My email is jennifernicoleking82@gmail.com

My cat is almost 4 years old and didn’t have any major issues so far. 3 months ago she suddenly stopped eating and was vomiting a bit so we took her to the clinic to find out the reason behind. They found a “shadow” in her intestines, something that they couldn’t really give a name for, but surely wasn’t an object neither hairs. They kept her there and gave her the appropriate medicines for this thing to desolve and they treated her in every possible way. After few days they ran the exams again and whatever was there, had disappeared. The cat was fine, she was eating again, playing.. everything back to normal. Now, a week ago she started vomiting again and she didn’t want to eat. We took her to the clinic again, they ran more exams and did more testing, they did x-rays, ultrasounds, blood testings, checked her teeth, but this time they couldn’t find anything whatsoever. All exams came clean and they even operate her in case they could find an explanation, but nothing. We took her back home so she can feel safe and in her familiar surroundings but she still wouldn’t eat. Although she seemed hungry and was approaching her food, and although we tried different kinds of food, she would approach it, smell it, even lick it but then pull back. I’m trully starting to feel hopeless. I don’t know what else to try. If you have any idea of what might be wrong please don’t hesitate to tell me. Thank you in advance.

I noticed that my brother’s cat has blood in his stool while I was cleaning its litter. I’m wondering what may cause it. I started to get worried so I wanted to make certain if this is an emergency so I can take him (the cat) to the vet. Thanks!

About 2 yrs ago my male cat kept going into the litter box, was straining but could not go.
I called my vet (this was on a Thursday) and the technician said I could bring him in the following Monday. A couple hours later, I called back and talked to a different tech who said to bring him right in. I did and the vet said he had a urinary blockage and probably would not have survived the weekend. Eclipse spent 3 days in the hospital and come home feeling fine and has not had any more problems. Had I listened to that first tech, I probably would have lost him. I learned to never wait.

I lost my car recently & still not sure as to what was wrong with her I would love to share privately a video of her the day before so you can give me your opinion so we can have closure of some sorts as to why she just suddenly died within a 48-hour period thank you
Ms.Aldita Barnes

You should get your cat checked by a vet as soon as possible. Chronic constipation can lead to a condition called megacolon, in which the cat’s colon is so stretched out with poo that the muscles can’t work to push it out. As you can imagine, this can be painful and potentially life-threatening.